from carnage and stardust
chapter 1: the link
AN: This is an idea that came to me, as this is a crack ship I've always loved haha. Marron may be a bit OOC from her original self in GT, as this is going to be set in an alternate Mirai timeline & gt :') This fic completely ignores the events of Super. There is *a lot* of canon changes here, especially with the state of the world in History of Trunks. For the most part this entire fic can probably be read in a fandom blind perspective The ages of the characters are also going to be altered to fit the themes of the story
Only the resilient survive in this world, questions of morality and ethics were not necessary. This has at least the truth for Marron, for as long as she has been alive in this accursed world. The circumstances of which she was brought upon this life are less than ideal, given she had to fight tooth and nail just to give herself a chance to have a simple meal.
She ducked between dilapidated buildings, her breath ragged as she held a blade close, her panicked blue eyes darting to the side as she tried to hone in on the sounds of footsteps stampeding behind her. On her other hand, her fist grappled the white bag, holding only just a few days' supplies of provisions.
"Did you fucking lose that bitch?" A male voice boomed, his footsteps getting closer to her. Her heart was racing, as she tried to sink into the wall. This beating sun wasn't doing her any favors, even her shadow was out to get her.
Marron knew not to make a sound, that even a squeak could be death. She listened closely, hearing the rustle of metal against their clothes. Was it a shotgun? Rifle? Either was she was fucked if she was caught guns or not. She couldn't be too sure; but the two men outnumbered her.
If it was just one, maybe she would have a better chance to take them on. She wasn't nearly as fast to dodge the bullets, especially if they were carrying a rifle. Marron slid down into a crack with broken down pillars. It was dark, but surely a safer hiding spot. But as she landed, a scurry of tiny feet erupted into panicked squeals.
Her eyes widened as she felt what seemed to be a rat run across her feet. "What the fuck was that?" She heard outside the building. Marron's face paled, her hand slapped against her mouth, forcing herself to remain as quiet as she could muster. She was fucked.
Royally fucked — All because of a stupid squeaky rat . Fucking cunt, she thought to herself as her eyes adjusted in the darkness on the rubble staring at the silhouette of the rodent. But, Marron would make it out of here alive. She had to. All she needed to do was wait this out. She flipped her black hoodie over her head covering her blonde hair to attempt to better hide in the shadow.
As she heard the footsteps approach the rubble, she could feel her heartbeat pound in her throat, like she was about to be caught at any given moment. She could feel herself begin to panic. She cannot make a rash decision, but she needs to think quickly. She pressed her lips together as she snatched the rodent, hearing it scream as it scratched and nipped at her hand, guiding it out of the collapsed pillars.
She watched it carefully as it scurried out, scampering across the men's feet. "Oh fucking gross," one man grunted, a heavy boot stomped on the ground as the squelch of bones and guts splattered against the ground. "It was just a rat."
Marron remained silent, hearing as they turned the corner. "Let's keep looking," the other man said as their boots pounded against the floor. As soon as they were far enough, Marron let out a deep sigh of relief. As she waited for the coast to clear, she hopped out of the rubble, dusting her body off of any cobwebs and filth. Tucking the small blade into the leather sheath wrapped around her thigh.
She walked up to the bloody pool of the rat left behind the men hunting her down. She knelt down, glancing at him. "I'm sorry," she mouthed out, staring down at the carcass. "It was me or you," she whispered as she stood up wiping her cheek feeling a sting against her skin.
Did she get cut? She looked down at her dirtied hands looking at the blood on the back of her hand. She'd have to treat that later…but for the time being she continued to tread on. Getting anywhere was difficult, cars were few and far between — with the cessation of vehicle production from Capsule Corporation it was difficult for many normal people to get from point A to B.
Marron's preferred method was hopping on a cargo train, but where she was headed such a thing was pointless. She was going for the water – the western capitol, to be exact. The final stronghold of the world, and key to the underground. She could hide out there for a while – anything would be better than stealing from farmers to make it by.
It may have worked when she was a cute, young girl. But Marron was the ripe age of seventeen, soon to be eighteen, and people don't take pity on an able-bodied woman. She walked with a light step, given she was small in stature– Her oversized black hoodie and tactical pants obscured her true size and figure.
She stuffed her hands into her pockets as she walked down the cracked and abandoned highway. One step after another as she shoved the bag of dry foods into her bag. She watched from the corner of her eye as she spotted a white truck. A woman with short blonde hair sitting on the back of the car, she was sipping something. He-tap, perhaps?
She contemplated for a moment, it seems the woman hadn't noticed her, as she continued to trek down the road, but – she could try to hitch a ride? And if she didn't comply, Marron has the brute strength to attempt to take her down…not like she knew how to drive.
Marron gripped the straps of her knapsack, turning on her heel towards where the stopped vehicle sat on the side of the road. "Hey!" Marron announced herself to the woman who turned her head to look at Marron, a surprised look on her face.
The woman immediately grabbed a spiked bat from the side, clutching the weapon defensively. "Back up!"
Marron's eyes widened as she slipped the hood off and held up her hands to show non-aggression. The woman lowered her guard just a bit; It was just a girl…alone. "I-I'm not–" Marron's voice choked, her throat killing her from how dry it felt. "I'm not here to hurt you."
The woman looked the girl up and down, her hair was tied into low pigtails, overgrown layered blonde hair strewn across her face and most strikingly– icy blue eyes. A cute girl, but the gash on her cheek was jarring. "Yeah, you aren't gonna do much with that blade," the woman said looking at the leather sheath. "What's a kid like you doing out here alone?"
Marron's breath hitched for a second, "just trying to get somewhere." She said as she stuffed her hands into her hoodie's pockets.
"Are you trying to hitch a ride?" The woman chuckled as she swung the bat between her legs hearing it land on the truck bed with a heavy thud, "that's bold, how do you know I'm not gonna hurt you?"
Marron's eyes looked to the side, blood still dribbling down the side of her face. The stranger was right, she very well could hurt her. But it's worth it to take a chance, Marron watched the woman's relaxed pose, her muscles weren't even the slightest bit tensed. This woman didn't see her as a threat. "I don't," Marron responded.
"And you just willing to take the chance?" She replied, "that's gutsy, I'll give you that." Marron watched the woman in silence, her eyes scanning her body for any other weapons. She wore a lime-green tanktop with a brown leather jacket, the clothes looked relatively new. Marron watched as she rubbed the back of her head and finally let out a small chuckle. "Alright kid, c'mon," she said, waving Marron to come closer.
Marron was surprised by how easy it was, carefully treading over to the woman. "Before I let you in," she said as she hopped off the truck bed, "what else you got on you?" The younger girl eyed the woman, somewhat of an attitude in her glance as she lifted her hoodie and slipped it off to show nothing but a brown tank-top underneath. "No other blades, no guns?"
Marron scoffed at her, if she had a gun she wouldn't be asking for a stranger's pity. "Just the blade, and a few matches," she said as she slipped her hoodie back on, feeling as she patted the girl down. The woman opened the car door to the cab, her head tilting towards the vehicle, telling her she is safe to hop in.
As the woman buckled her seatbelt, she started the vehicle going back into the main road. "You got a name?" The woman asked, her hand slung over the wheel.
"Mare," she lied. No use giving this woman her real name– that could only spell trouble for her later. "You?"
The woman nodded, her lips pressed tightly against each other. She was showing apprehension as she watched the road with steady eyes. "Erasa," she said as she flicked on the radio, listening to a static radio signal come in and out. "Weird name you got there," the older woman said as her eyes flicked over to the younger girl, "your parents gave you that name?"
"I wouldn't know," Marron replied quickly, as she folded her hands over her chest defensively. "Where are we headed?"
"West City," Erasa said, a smirk on her lips. "That's where you heading?" It was a question that didn't really require an answer. Anyone with half a mind knew that's where everyone was trying to go, Marron nodded silently as she thunked her head against the window. "So, Mare …what's a kid like you doing trying to get to the city so quickly?"
Marron let out an annoyed huff as she picked the skin around her nails. "Y'know anything about the underground?" The question was up front, she didn't have time to dick around and "bond" with this woman.
"Underground…" Erasa hummed, her finger tapping on the wheel. She knew how to make the teenager hang on the suspense. "Sure I do," she replied with a guile grin. "It's a cesspool of a place– but it's where the money is at nowadays."
Marron's eyes looked through the interior of the vehicle, it was in almost pristine condition. No scratches, no broken windows, almost like she just got the dang thing. "What do you do?" she asked, looking at the woman in a feeble attempt to identify what her intentions are.
"I'm just… a liaison," the woman responded, "between the underground and Capsule Corp."
Marron's eyes widened at the revelation. Capsule Corp was not completely dissolved after the relentless attacks on its headquarters? She knew they were operating on a smaller scale for a few years, but imagined they had gone silent. Just then a man broke through the static on the radio, "Android Alert!"
Erasa groaned. "Great shitfuck and fuckface are back at it."
The nicknames made Marron chuckle just a bit, for being such a clean and pretty lady she had the mouth of a sailor. Who didn't these days? She listened closely to the alert. "Androids at large in South Central City, people in the vicinity take cover or shelter."
Marron let out a sigh of relief, with her luck, she seemed to be slippery around the androids. She's only been caught in an attack once, and she could hardly call it such a thing – The quakes from their blasts were enough to shake up the neighboring cities. The androids were more of a fact of life, a force of nature even, they simply existed and everyone was at their mercy – many that try to fight it ended up dead.
There was word that there are these golden warriors with equal power to these monstrous beings. But Marron paid no mind to such myths. It was a last ditch effort to regain hope of a better tomorrow. Maybe she was jaded from being born into this world, but she wouldn't know a world without them. Perhaps these older folk yearn for that old world but to Marron…that didn't exist.
She heard back then of things like schools for girls her age, the trends of fashion weren't for survival but for style, and food was abundant. It was a jarring juxtaposition to the current reality, where she found herself fighting to get a loaf of bread and some canned beans. Marron couldn't help but feel annoyed, what good do the old times do for her? Give her some semblance of hope for an unattainable future?
"Coast is clear then," Erasa said as she flicked the radio off as she glanced out into the distance, the broken down beacon of the world– Western Capitol. This city used to be brimming with financial promise and tech…but now, it was the nexus of the underground.
In truth, Marron had never been to this city in particular. She's traversed past many villages, she was a nomad never sticking to one commune for long. There was no use in forming bonds with people when they could easily betray her the moment she lowered her guard. But even in its distressed state, the city was grand. Even with the mid-day sun beating down on the city the tallest structures were like pillars of something long-forgotten.
Erasa couldn't lie, her eyes grew wide with excitement for just a moment. "Easy kid, thirty more minutes," Erasa couldn't help but smile at the girl's obvious excitement. Part of her still questioned why she chose to trust her, but the kid was just that a kid…just trying to survive in a world she didn't ask to live in. "When we get there, my partner may ask you a few questions – just let me take over, 'kay?" She replied with a wink.
Marron looked over to Erasa, a small nod as her stare hardened on the cityscape. "Just don't fuck me over, yeah?" Marron shot back, "I'm just trying to make some cash."
Fuck , Marron thought. Why did she say that? Now this woman knows her intentions– granted it was obvious, but any sign of lacking a need is ammunition for the future. "Oh yeah?" Erasa responded, both her hands on the wheel.
"I could just have a job for you."
This is a serious departure from what I usually do, as you all know- I will probably be incorporating some TruMar and Vihan in here haha hope you guys enjoyed this!